While he might be the oldest student to walk across the stage at Lakeland Community College for his diploma, he's also one of the youngest at heart.

Robert Zonneville, or Bob, just wrapped up his associate's degree from the college, despite the fact that he retired more than 10 years ago as the successful CEO of a trucking company.

The 88-year-old World War II veteran said he loved his time at Lakeland, especially getting to know the younger generations, whom he says are better than many think.

"These kids are brighter than we give them credit for," he said. "I respect the kids ... so many people my age knock the kids and it makes me mad, because the kids aren't bad."

He wasn't sure what it would be like when he started out, but it was important to him to follow through.

"When I drove over that first day, I was 85 then ... what the hell are the kids going to react to an 85-year-old guy with white hair, what's going to happen? I was actually a little nervous," he recalled. "And of course, me, I talk to everybody, so I get in the classroom, 'Hey, what's your name, I'm Bob.' "

Zonneville's late wife Carol had suggested he get a degree a few years prior.

"Sometime after she retired she said 'Bob your father came here from another country. When I met you, you had nothing, and here you made it all the way. Why don't you go back to school and get a degree?' " he recalled. "So I thought, I better do that."

Throughout his time at the school, he forged many relationships with his classmates, encouraging them to do well and providing advice, support and insight into what life was like years ago.

In return, younger students helped him out, too.

"I wouldn't have passed computers if it hadn't been for the kids' help," he said. "Don't forget, when I was born, our home did not have electricity, no indoor plumbing, I had to go to a one-room school house and that had no indoor plumbing."

While Zonneville himself became a successful company leader without a college degree, he said it wasn't commonplace during that time. Most company executives held college degrees, and not many people could move up without them, he said.

Zonneville said he's "high on education" and its importance to the success of today's students, which is why it wasn't uncommon to see him pushing kids on campus if they were falling behind, something the students and their parents came to thank him for.

He has also earned the Distinguished Service Award from Lakeland, as the school views him as an inspiration to the younger students.

Zonneville laughs when he hears that, and expresses that the kids are the real inspiration.

Outside of his recent scholastics, he also has earned several honors from the U.S. Army, including two Purple Hearts for his service.

He said he thoroughly enjoys telling stories of his time in the military to curious students on campus and in area high schools.

He has been visiting local schools for several years. He firmly believes that questions from younger generations should be answered candidly, despite the fact that sometimes they bring up memories that are hard to look back on.

Zonneville said he will likely get his bachelor's degree from the Holden University Center, since he enjoyed his experience so much.

While history and geography courses were a breeze given his military past, he said he learned a lot from a religion course he took.

"I was stupid on some of the other religions, so I probably gained the most," he said.

"For instance, Muslims, I thought I knew something about it. I didn't know crap about it. I learned a respect that I probably didn't have before.

"We all think we know about everything. Sometimes we don't know as much as we think we do. I learn something every day."

Outside of his schooling, Zonneville leads a pretty active lifestyle, something he believes everyone should do.

He's driven race cars, taken a ride in a hot air balloon and will eventually jump out of a plane -- the only thing that stopped him previously was surgery on both knees.

"If I was president of the United States I'd raise the retirement age, I think that's the worst thing to do in the world, retire at 60, 65. Get off your ass and do something," he said passionately. "I just think that we're all better off while we're busy. My neighbors call me the oldest teenager there ever is.

"What the heck are you gonna do, sit down and die? That's the worst thing in the world."